Villas-Boas on Mora, Diego Moreira: “No outcry over lost talent” | OneFootball

André Villas-Boas used Rodrigo Mora’s transfer to AS Roma to respond to the criticism directed at FC Porto. The Porto president presented the deal as part of a broader strategy linked to youth development, financial sustainability, player valuation, and the team’s competitiveness, arguing that the board’s decisions are intended to safeguard the club’s future.

Among the arguments presented is a comparison with other players developed in Portugal. Villas-Boas believes there is a difference in how certain transfers are judged and brings up the example of Diego Moreira, who left Benfica on a free transfer, went through Chelsea, Lyon, and Strasbourg, and was ultimately transferred to Milan for 50 million euros. From the FC Porto president’s perspective, that case did not provoke a public reaction similar to the one caused by Rodrigo Mora’s departure, which was at the center of various criticisms.

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The Diogo Moreira case: “[…] there are also decisions that force us to talk about the future, youth development, sustainability, and the responsibility of running a club that wants to keep winning. This summer, two players developed at Portuguese clubs arrived in Italian football through deals with an accounting reference of 50 million euros. Diego Moreira left Benfica on a free transfer, went through Chelsea, Lyon, and Strasbourg, and has now joined AC Milan for 50 million euros. A talent developed in Portugal left the club that nurtured him without any direct return, moved through different leagues, and ended up generating one of the biggest sales in French football. There was no national mourning, nor the usual account sheets, permanent outrage, or sudden concern over the loss of Portuguese talent. There was silence.”

Mora’s path: “Rodrigo Mora followed a different path: he was developed at FC Porto, grew within our club, won our hearts, and arrived at AS Roma in a deal that values him at 50 million euros, guaranteeing FC Porto a significant immediate financial return and preserving a decisive stake in his future. Suddenly, concern, commotion, sadness, and financial scrutiny set in, joined by the typical selective memory of the national ‘panel brigade.’ Losing a talent on a free transfer deserves no comment; valuing him at 50 million euros turns into a problem, as long as the credit and the return stay in the North.” The board also criticizes the intervention of a commentator who, according to the statement, sought to take center stage in the transfer process. Villas-Boas maintains that the lawyer’s actions had no influence whatsoever on the negotiations between the clubs, but that the statements made led the player’s parents to distance themselves from them and Mora’s representative to apologize to the institution. The president believes those positions were incompatible with lawyers’ professional duty of confidentiality and discretion, and says the disrespect shown toward FC Porto and the club’s coach will not be forgotten.

From Vitinha and Fábio Silva to Mora: “The perfect scenario will always be one in which scouting, youth development, sporting success, and financial success come together at the right moment: a stable, powerful club, without a doubt, capable of keeping its best talents for longer and choosing, without constraints, when and under what conditions to let them go. That is the FC Porto we are working for. Until we get there, sport is also made up of compromises, crossing paths, difficult decisions, and the need to protect both present and future sustainability without giving up the obligation to keep winning. Rodrigo Mora joins Vitinha, Rúben Neves, Diogo Dalot, Fábio Vieira, and Fábio Silva, homegrown sons who left early for other adventures and who continue to carry part of our identity with them. Far from home but close to the heart. Dear Rodrigo, the Dragon that took you to Rome is the same one that will one day bring you back.”

A message to the critics: “To all those who criticize us, those who belittle us, those who turn every FC Porto decision into suspicion and every success into an annoyance, we also leave a word of thanks. Don’t stop existing. You too play a leading role in the affirmation of Portugal’s greatest Club. You force us to stay alert, to explain ourselves better, to work harder, and to remember every day that for FC Porto, the path is rarely simple. While some try to diminish us, we keep adding trophies. While some build scripts, we build teams. While some live off noise, we live off work, rigor, and victory.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.